1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to portable lap desks and supports for supporting objects upon the lap of a seated individual and, more particularly, to a portable articulated support device having an articulated quadrilateral frame that can be expanded and collapsed between a generally rectangular configuration and a generally diamond-shaped rhombus configuration to be supported in a generally horizontal plane upon the lap of a seated user for supporting various objects on the lap of the seated user
2. Background Art
A common problem with desk top computers is that the desk surface available is typically not large enough to comfortably accommodate the computer, the monitor, the keyboard, and the mouse. This is particularly true when the computer is supported on a credenza or other narrow piece of furniture, or the desk surface is also occupied with books, papers and other work materials. Many solutions have been proposed for this problem. Some desks have a shallow drawer in which the keyboard is stored and pulled out for use. Freestanding drawer units are commercially available which are placed on top of the desk under the computer.
Laptop or notebook computers are typically used on airplanes, in airports, at all types of meetings, and in a wide variety of public places, including libraries, restaurants, parks, etc. With such a wide array of circumstances of use, and the attendant variety of public and private seating, there are a number of physical conditions and positions in which the user may find himself or herself uncomfortable when attempting to use a laptop computer.
As a result, many people attempt to balance the keyboard or the laptop computer with keyboard on their lap during use. Not all of these conditions present the optimal situation for comfortable, ergonomically correct use of the keyboard or the laptop computer with keyboard. For example, it is difficult to balance and maintain the lap-supported keyboard or laptop computer with keyboard at a comfortable height and a substantially horizontal angle relative to the wrists and hands of the user.
There are also occasions when it would be desirable to support other objects on the lap, such for example, but not limited to, books, computer peripheral devices, cell phones, portable electronic audio and video players, and portable electronic game devices, rather than holding them in the hand.
It would also be desirable to have a portable support device for supporting various objects on the lap of a seated user that could be selectively changed in shape and size to fit the size of the user, the space in which the user is seated, and to support a wide variety of objects of different shapes and sizes. It would also be desirable to have a portable support device for supporting various objects on the lap of a seated user that could be easily and quickly disassembled and folded into a small compact configuration for compact storage and transportation.
There are a number of commercially available portable lap desks and supports for supporting objects upon the lap of a seated individual, most of which are generally square or rectangular and cannot be selectively changed in shape and size. There are also several patents directed toward keyboard support frames and portable hinged or pivoting lap desks and supports of various constructions for supporting laptops, keyboards, a mouse, etc., on the lap of a seated individual. The following are some examples.
Singer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,760, discloses a support for a keyboard of a computer resting on spaced apart feet on a narrow support surface that includes two articulated elongated members laterally spaced apart between the feet on the computer by cross-braces. The first end sections of the elongated members are placed on the support surface under the spaced apart feet of the computer to cantilever the middle sections and second end sections out over the edge of the support surface with the middle sections extending generally downward adjacent the edge of the support surface and the second end sections extending generally laterally outward from the middle sections to form spaced apart supports for the keyboard. Preferably, the middle sections of the elongated members are hinged to the end sections for adjusting the height at which the keyboard is supported and to rotate the middle sections to a generally horizontal position with the second end sections extending generally upward to form a cradle for stowing the keyboard when not in use with the keys facing the computer. Also preferably, the second end sections are hinged to the middle sections such that through adjustment of the two sets of hinges the keyboard can be set to a range of heights.
Cotterill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,053, discloses a selectively controlled keyboard support that has a mounting bracket, a keyboard support bracket pivotally connected via parallel bars permitting change in altitude of the support bracket. The mechanism may be locked against change in altitude by means of a formation associated with a bar which is interengageable with a formation associated with the support bracket by means of a laterally operable lever resiliently biased by a spring plate towards engagement. In a preferred embodiment the support bracket may be tilted about a pivot and the mechanism permits one-handed selective operation of altitude adjustment or tilt adjustment.
Trom et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,025, discloses a portable computer support device for supporting portable personal computers atop tripods, pedestals, legs, stands, and similar devices. The support device comprises a base having a threaded annular aperture fastener and a plurality of support arms to universally fit the mounting apparatus on photographic or camcorder tripods, pedestals or similar stands. In the preferred embodiment, the end of each adjustable extensible support arm is pronged and plastic dipped to secure the corners of the computer to the base. An interlocking, mechanical fabric fastener is used to secure the computer to the support by strapping across the top of the computer and attaching to each of the rear support arms below the computer.
Boyer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,548, discloses a system for retaining a computer or other article on the human body, such as on the lap or other appropriate anchor point to prevent it from slipping or dropping. The system includes an encircling strap and coacting strips of hook-and-loop fastener material that are secured around a limb or limbs or other appropriate anchor point while also holding the device. A first variation enables the user to secure one or more articles such as a laptop computer on the lap using a non-elastic strap which encircles both legs at the thighs. A second variation enables the user to secure a smaller device such as a palmtop computer or cellular telephone to a single thigh or to an arm. Another form of the strap device has a strip of non-slip material on its top surface to simply retain a hand-manipulable device by friction.
Borke et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,652, discloses a laptop computer support which includes a first panel, a second panel, and a third panel. The first panel includes a free edge and a hinged edge opposite the free edge. This hinged edge is hingedly connected to a first hinged edge of the second panel. The second panel further includes a second hinged edge opposite the first hinged edge. This second hinged edge is itself hingedly connected to a hinged edge on the third panel, with the third-panel hinged edge being positioned opposite a third-panel free edge. A first fastener member on the first panel and a second fastener member on the third panel may be releasably and adjustably fastened together to provide multiple support surfaces and support-surface angles for a laptop computer or other item.
Sher et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,658, discloses a chair arm-mounted tray apparatus that can be mounted on chair arms of a chair having a chair seat, for supporting an item. The apparatus includes an item support deck for supporting an item; and a deck support frame fastened to the support deck, the deck support frame having a chair arm engaging mechanism for removably securing the apparatus to the arms of a chair; so that the deck support frame positions the deck forwardly of the chair at an adjustable height and at an adjustable orientation relative to horizontal. The deck support frame preferably includes two parallel and laterally spaced apart telescoping frame arms removably secured to the chair arms by the chair arm engaging mechanism, the frame arms each having a frame arm forward end adjacent to the deck and a frame arm rearward end adjacent to the chair. The deck support frame alternatively includes at least one telescoping frame arm removably secured to a chair arm by the chair arm engaging mechanism, the frame arm having a frame arm forward end adjacent to the deck and a frame arm rearward end adjacent to the chair.
Coterill, U.S. Published Application 2002/0190180, discloses a linkage mechanism for adjustably mounting a movable support to a fixed member, such as a keyboard support platform to a desk, for movement between a first position and a second position. The mechanism includes a first linkage arm respectively connected at each end to the fixed member and the movable support and second linkage arm having one end connected to the movable support and the other to a connector located intermediate the ends of the first linkage arm. A third linkage arm extends between the movable support and the connector. The connector controls the movable support during the movement between the first and second positions. A two link arrangement is also disclosed having a pair of linkage arms extending between a movable support and a fixed member. The linkage arms being linked by a connector intermediate their respective ends.
In addition, a variety of other hinged or pivoting frame devices are known, that can be expanded and collapsed, but are but are not configured to be supported on the lap of a seated individual or supporting objects on the lap, such as: Merrill, U.S. Pat. No. 1,682,180; Belanger, U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,356; and Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,351.